The 10th Annual Gene Topp Memorial Car Show will take place downtown in Winside on Father’s Day, June 15.
People from all over will pack the village of Winside’s main street to enjoy the beauty and shine from car enthusiasts from all over.
For 10 years, family and friends have gathered together to pull off one of the best car shows in northeast Nebraska. The car show is more than just four hours of people showing off their best cars and winning a prize. There is a deep meaning behind the show that began with love that was shared between a father and his children.
Gene LeRoy Topp was born Sept. 22, 1961 to LeRoy and Carol (Kahny) Topp. Gene has left a legacy in the community he grew up in and that legacy continues to grow and expand beyond anyone’s expectations.
Gene grew up in Winside. He has a sister Rhonda (Joe) Jindra and a brother Dustin (Becky) Topp. After graduating from Winside High School in 1980, Gene married June Meyer in November of that year. Three children were born to this marriage: Matthew (Donya) Topp, Sheila (Jon) Jaeger and Stephanie Topp, all of Winside. June and Gene later divorced. Gene passed away on July 9, 2013 of heart failure.
"Bravery," "huge heart," "willing to help anyone" and maybe the word "wild" was used a few times by friends and family members to describe Gene.
Gene grew up never being afraid of anything. He loved to take risks. He fell in love with cars, go-karts, cats and fish (both catching, eating and raising them in fish tanks).
Rhonda remembers one time while they were moving cattle, they had a steer that was wild and crazy. She said even her father would get out of the way when that steer was around, but Gene wouldn’t move, he would stand right in front of the steer and waved him off.
Little did the Topp family know that not being afraid of the steer was minor to the next adversity they were going to face. During Gene’s freshman year, a lump was found in his neck. The lump was removed and his family doctor thought everything looked okay. Gene was later diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease. The family was devastated.
Hodgkins Disease is a cancer of the lymphatic system. This includes lymph nodes and the spleen. Gene had his spleen removed and then started radiation treatment. Rhonda remembers Gene and his mom traveling to Omaha every week, where he received radiation treatments daily and only came home for the weekend. She said one time she went with him and saw how brave he was during treatments.
Bravery and risk taking continued all his years. He enjoyed go-karts, dune buggies, three wheelers, motorcycles and cars. He especially liked to ride his motorcycle and do wheelies.
Gene’s father, LeRoy, surprised him one day in the Winside school parking lot. He bought him a 1969 Ford Gran Torino for $750 from Jerry Wyatt of Pilger. His father started him out with a full tank of gas. The first day he had the car he drove it all over, causing his family to run out of gas on their way home from a basketball game the following night. Stories have been told about Gene coasting down the hill into his driveway during high school, so he wasn’t caught coming home late.
The Gran Torino (G.T.) was his pride and joy, he had the car his entire life. His Grandma Lavina Topp thought it was pretty cool how the G.T on the hub caps was for Gene Topp.
He taught all three children how to drive with the G.T. The car was eventually parked and not driven. Prior to his death, he started restoring his G.T. Gene and his son, Matt, painted the car. After his passing, Matt, Stephanie and friends - Dirk Jaeger, Ronnie Prince, Jason Wylie - were able to get his car running in Dirk’s shop. Matt has his car today.
Gene became known as Papa Gene to Katelyn and Kortney Jaeger and Tayven Topp. Braelynn Topp was born after he passed but is named after him. He was so proud when he was able to take Katelyn to and from school. He loved his grandbabies.
Fishing and fish were another love of Gene’s. He would drive to his favorite spot in Pilger - he called the Humbug. If you saw him with his orange cooler filled with Busch Light, chances are he was on his way to fish. He also had two fish tanks with many fish through the years. He just loved to watch them; he was very fascinated by them. He also made Earl May stand behind their fish. If a fish died, he would take it back and get another fish. His family shared while cleaning his house after his death, they found frozen baggies of fish ready to go back to Earl May.
Gene was known as a “gear head” - he could build anything. He has given the gift to his son Matt and grandson Tayven. He owned Topp Notch Body and Paint Specialist for several years. He later worked for his brother at Topp’s Body Shop in Pilger. He would also be found many nights in Trever Hartmann’s hot garage tinkering away.
Gene was a very patient man. He had a heart of gold and would give the shirt off his back to help anyone. He was very genuine and had one of the best smiles.
Jordan Koch was mentored by Gene in the body shop. He taught him everything he knew. They became very close, and Jordan still reminisces today about him.
Family and friends came together in Dirk’s garage one night and came up with the idea of the Gene Topp Memorial Car Show.
The first show took place on June 21, 2015, during the Old Settlers Q125 celebration. The first car show had close to 200 cars, trucks, tractors, semis and bike entries. The car show was a success and every year, minus 2020 due to Covid, the show has taken place.
The car show started with zero funds. Since the beginning, anyone could enter the car show and be a spectator for free. The car show is always held on Father’s Day. It has grown through the years.
The car show is 100% funded by generous donations, tremendous community support and a lot of volunteers. His daughter, Sheila, said Gene would be so humbled by all of the generosity.
The Winside Fire Department sponsors bounce houses, face painting and the LifeNet helicopter. Kathy Meyer and Shelby Brokaw added a kiddie parade in 2019. To help raise funds, the show has hosted pitch tournaments, March Madness brackets and sold raffle tickets for “Summer Cash” drawings. Everyone who donates to the car show is recognized and appreciated greatly.
Five years after the first car show, the Gene Topp Memorial Scholarship was given in the amount of $500 to one student at Winside High School. The scholarship eventually grew to $750 for two students and this year, $1,000 to three students.
During the car show this year the prizes include: $1,500 Best in Show, $1,000 Runner Up, $500 Second Runner Up and 40 random $50 cash drawings.
Special awards are given each year by the family. Each grandchild picks their favorite entry, and daughter, Stephanie, has a Louie’s Choice trophy.
The car show has many committee members, including Gene’s friends and his three children.
Rick and June Bowers have been significantly involved in assisting with the car show. Rick was a classmate of Gene’s and June is the mother of his children.
Dirk and Kim Jaeger have also been greatly involved in the car show. Dirk was Gene’s best friend. They grew up together and were friends forever. Dirk said, “Losing Gene felt like losing a piece of my own past. We met in school, and from the start he was more than just a friend, he was family. Every memory from those years is colored by his laugh, his loyalty and the way he could turn any day into an adventure. We built a bond that time never touched. He was a huge part of our lives as well as our children’s lives. We are honored to continue to take part in the car show and always keep his memory alive.”
The legacy of Gene Topp continues to grow. Giving back to the community where Gene grew up is of great importance.
After the show closes, Gene’s memory continues with donations going back to the Winside Fire Department, the Sons of the American Legion, the Winside Cemetery, the Lied Winside Public Library, the Christmas Lighting of the Park, donating blankets when children visit Santa, Winside FFA, the Winside Summer Recreation program and the Winside annual 5k run. They also support area car shows: Cars N Carroll, Cruise Main in Wayne and Car Show for a Cause-Norfolk Area Street Cars. These shows also show up in Winside to show their support for Gene’s show.
Come out and enjoy the Gene Topp Memorial Car Show and continue to support the Legacy that lives on in the wonderful village of Winside.
“What you leave as a legacy is not what is etched in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others,” Anonymous.
